After serving 18 years in the Illinois General Assembly, Rickey Hendon will resign from his position as a senator representing the state's 5th District.
The Huffington Post reports that he appears to be retiring out of frustration with the results of Chicago's mayoral election on Tuesday:
Carol Moseley Braun, the "consensus" black candidate, came in a disappointing fourth place, while Rahm Emanuel won strong support from the black community.
"Tuesday was a Black political disaster! I can't take it anymore," Hendon said via text message, according to NBC Chicago.
Among legislative circles, Hendon was known as "Hollywood" for his outspoken and colorful nature. Characteristically, he made the news during the November election cycle for describing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady as an "idiotic, racist, sexist, homophobic person."
Hendon himself was a candidate for Chicago mayor after the retirement of Richard M. Daley, but he withdrew and supported Carol Moseley Braun instead. Unfortunately, she ultimately lost much of the black vote.
We can understand Hendon’s frustration, but he obviously thought there was important work to be done in Chicago politics. How does stepping aside help accomplish that? As the old (OK, brand-new) saying goes, two black political disasters don't make a black political victory.
Read more at the Huffington Post.
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